Iran May Revise Ties With IAEA
VOA News 10 June 2010
Iran says it is reviewing its relations with the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency after the U.N. Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions on Tehran because of its controversial nuclear program.
News agencies quote members of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy committee as saying lawmakers will soon begin work on a possible revision of ties with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Meanwhile, European Union diplomats say they may take additional measures against Iran, beyond those outlined in the new sanctions.
On Wednesday, the Security Council voted to impose a fourth round of sanctions on Iran, in an effort to try to curb the country's controversial nuclear activities.
The new restrictions target Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, ballistic missile program and nuclear-related investments.
Iran has dismissed the sanctions. The country's IAEA ambassador, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, insisted Iran will not stop enriching uranium.
Western powers believe Iran's nuclear activities are aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes.
Twelve of the Security Council's 15 members voted in favor of the resolution, while Brazil and Turkey voted "no" and Lebanon abstained.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the new sanctions a mistake. Brazil and Turkey negotiated a deal with Iran last month to have Iran send some of its uranium to Turkey to be exchanged for fuel for a research reactor in Tehran.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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